SOUTH FLORIDA A HOT SPOT FOR FILM INDUSTRY

Production companies filming everything from motion pictures and commercials to print ads and catalogues are choosing south Florida.

Elton John dances in front of Woody`s, a Miami Beach nightclub, in his latest video. Veteran stars wander the streets of Miami in ''Cocoon II: The Return.''

Ft. Lauderdale played host to nerds in ''Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise.'' Palm Beach County is the stage for Burt Reynolds` new TV detective series, ''B.L. Stryker.''

And that`s just the tip of the iceberg.

''In our peak period, we have 10 to 15 productions a day going on,'' said Barbara Zucker, director of the motion picture and television office of the Broward Economic Development Board.

The Miami Beach film office receives more than 50 permit requests a week from filmmakers, commercial producers, fashion magazines and advertising agencies, said Susan Winn, special events coordinator.

In Dade County, the film industry is expected to bring in about $120 million this year, compared with $15 million in 1977, said Rick Zahan, Metro- Dade film coordinator.

Even Palm Beach County, which had shied away from the film industry, is getting into the act.

Many production companies choose south Florida because of its versatile look, Zucker explained. ''We can re-create anything except mountains and snow.''

In ''Married to the Mob,'' for example, a Pompano Beach set was used to re-create a flashy, gaudy Miami hotel room that many people are still trying to reserve.

That changeable look may also explain why the Massachusetts Lottery shot a commercial at Port Everglades and why the Japanese Nippon Television Network filmed a spot on Pompano Beach, Zucker said.

In addition to photogenic locations, south Florida`s climate-meteorological ly and industrially-gives it an advantage in the film world, Zucker explained.

''We have no permit fees, the third largest talent and technical pool in the country, 300 days of sunshine and right-to-work laws,'' Zucker said. ''The bottom line is that shooting in south Florida is extremely cost effective.''

With all this activity, it might seem that film crews would be bumping into each other. And in a way, they are.

Although south Florida has an abundance of locations, there are some sites everyone wants to use.

Ever since Elvis Presley sang his way through the 1965 film ''Girl Happy,'' downtown Ft. Lauderdale and the Broward County beaches have been film favorites.

The famous Ft. Lauderdale Strip and beaches have served as the background in dozens of teen-oriented movies, including ''Where the Boys Are Now.''

The trendy, colorful cop show flashed images of a new Miami across the country and around the world. It was an image of glamor, neon and a Latinized big city that many filmmakers and advertising agencies wanted to capture.

The location to benefit most has probably been Miami Beach.

After brief fame as the TV home of Jackie Gleason, Miami Beach fell to appearing in bit roles-a beatup hotel in ''Lenny,'' a gangster`s abode in

''Scarface.'' But now, it is one of the hottest properties around.

Almost every production that works in Florida makes a stop on the Beach, usually filming in the historic Art Deco District.

Ocean Drive, with neon and pastel art deco hotels on one side and Atlantic Ocean on the other, tops the list of popular locations. The street`s stylish buildings, constantly used for fashion layouts in ads and catalogues, have recently popped up in Elton John`s music videos and the ''Cocoon II''

sequel.

The Miami Beach Convention Center and the city`s police station, a sleek white building with rounded curves and glass bricks, are also frequent shooting locales.

This past summer moviegoers saw the facade of the Eden Roc hotel in

''Married to the Mob.''

But Dade County can have a thousand different looks, said Rick Zahan, Metro-Dade film coordinator. ''People come here looking for jungles, beaches, palm trees, everything.''

For a Latin look, there are the cantinas and bodegas of Little Havana. For suburbia, there`s the shopper`s paradise of Dadeland mall. For old-fashioned Florida, there`s Coral Gables, with tree-lined streets and Spanish-style homes.

One of Dade`s most-used spots is the palatial Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, an ornate, recently restored building.

The Biltmore`s 600,000-gallon pool has been featured in a television commercial for Maybelline waterproof mascara and in catalogues from Bloomingdale`s and Neiman-Marcus.

Vizcaya, an Italian Renaissance-style mansion and gardens in Coconut Grove, is another of Dade County`s hot spots. Vizcaya, which served as the meeting place for Pope John Paul II and Ronald Reagan, has appeared in

''Airport `77'' and ''Absence of Malice.''

Unlike Dade and Broward, which are often used to re-create other settings, filmmakers use Palm Beach for one thing-to portray an image of wealth and opulence.

The town of Palm Beach is a favorite location, but the Breakers Hotel and the exclusive shops of Worth Avenue are by far the most popular spots, according to Linda McGowan, location manager for Blue Period Productions, the Burt Reynolds firm.

The Burt Reynolds company is making good use of the historic estates that have drawn many other film crews to the area. In November, the ''B.L. Stryker'' show shot scenes at a pink oceanfront estate in Delray Beach-a structure recommended for historic status.